In South Africa, the right to a clean environment is constitutionally guaranteed. However, this right is being violated on a daily basis by the mining companies who degrade and harm the environment in the communities they operate. Even though laws have been put in place to regulate, protect and deter degradation, the reality is that the mining companies have been found wanting several times in discharging their constitutional obligations not to degrade and harm the environment. This paper examines impacts and effects of the mining activities. It also looks at the legislative interventions that have been put in place to serve as checks against the mining companies and provides insights on how they are being used to regulate harmful mining practices.

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Lalor, B. M. (2008). An assessment of the recovery of the microbial community in Jarrah forest soils after Bauxite mining and prescription burning.

Lewis, B. (2013). Environmental rights or a right to the environment? Exploring the nexus between Human Rights and Environmental protection. Macquarie Journal of International and Comparative Environmental Law, 97.

MMSD (2014). Such as the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) reports and the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (2011- 2014).

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In December 2013, the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) published the International Integrated Reporting Framework. The aim of the Framework is to provide the guiding principles and the content elements of an integrated report. The integrated report constitutes an evolutionary step in the corporate’s financial and non-financial communication, moving from the social responsibility reporting to the integrated reporting. This practice is at the beginning in Europe and especially in Italy, where only a few listed companies have decided to face the multitude of challenges the integrated report implies. Considering the relevance of such a new form of communication, the paper examines the main steps carried out by an Italian listed company moving towards the integrated report. The research has been conducted by adopting a qualitative case study approach, by focusing on Sabaf S.p.a, an Italian listed medium sized company belonging to the Star Segment. This company has been selected, because it was one of the first adopters of the integrated report among the Italian listed companies. The study is built on data gathered through sites visits, structured interviews and company materials. The paper examines Sabaf’s transition from the corporate social responsibility report to the integrated report, aiming at answering the following research question: Why has Sabaf moved to integrated reporting? Which are Sabaf’s main steps towars the integrated report? How is the Sabaf’s integrated reporting process going? The findings should be of interest to a number of parties including standard setters, firms, financial advisors, auditors and users of non-financial statements.

Given the rapid and sustained growth of Aspen over the past decade, the main aim of this study is to identify and analyze the growth strategies, adopted by Aspen over the period from 2004 to 2014. The research method used was a descriptive study through a single case study of Aspen by analyzing secondary data in the form of publicly available company reports and presentations, as well as financial results, issued between 2004 and 2014. The study finds that, guided by strategic and visionary leadership, Aspen adopted a number of growth strategies including (i) organic growth, as a key factor in creating incremental value for Aspen and its stakeholders, (ii) inorganic growth, in the form of carefully planned and well executed acquisitions, aligned to the Group strategy, (iii) extending territorial coverage through global expansion, particularly into emerging pharmaceutical countries, and (iv) ongoing investment in production capabilities as a means of achieving a strategic advantage. Despite the challenges of intense competition, restrictive legislation, pressure on medicine prices, currency volatility and market specific risks, Aspen has delivered double-digit earnings growth to its shareholders for 16 consecutive years.

Risk management is one of the prominent issues which are pivotal to the success of a business and may adversely affect profitability if not properly practised. Therefore, the main objective of this paper was to determine risk management practices in manufacturing SMEs in Cape Town. The research conducted was quantitative in nature and constituted the collection of data from 74 SME leaders, all of whom had to adhere to a list of strict delineation criteria. All data collected were thoroughly analyzed through means of descriptive statistics. From the findings made, it is clear that SMEs in the manufacturing sector do in fact understand risk management initiatives applicable to ‘manage’ their respective businesses towards sustainability, but not to a large extent. It was found that respondents are unaware of the elements which make risk management effective, which ultimately aids to the development of problems for SMEs. All employees, managers and owners must coordinate their efforts together to identify and manage organizational risks within their ambit to obtain total risk coverage, as well as provide assurance that these risks are effectively managed from a coordinated approach. Further studies may be carried out to identify measures that can be taken to improve the effectiveness of risk management practices in SMEs.